I believe in fairies.
If you believe in fairies you’ll know that they don’t just disappear after one season sweetie. Prada’s collection for spring featured the Fairy bag, which some women believed in and others just wished would fly, fly away. The award winning artist/illustrator is James Jean, and as with Murakami and Louis Vuitton, the collaboration divided the old and new guard. More mature women simply didn’t feel it was age-appropriate, even though at over $2000 a bag the price definitely was – hardly teen pocket money. But when nymph went head-to-head with nymphette in the real world, Catherine Deneuve and Tilda Swinton had the soignée edge over Hilary Duff. In spite of its theme I think this is a woman’s rather than a girl’s bag. It wants contrast: some austere tailoring rather than a cutesy top and skinny jeans.
Long before James Jean there was Cicely Mary Barker. Her Flower Fairies series was first published in 1923 and she drew with as much care and detail and love for her creations as Beatrix Potter. Generations of children have since been enchanted by her work, including myself. I don’t remember anything of the text but those dainty creatures certainly took flight in my imagination. If there was a patron saint of fashion she would surely be a fairy – beautiful, ephemeral, but immortalized in a Prada bag for a long time to come.
The Fairy Bag will be a classic, so close your eyes and say after me ‘I believe in fairies’. I’m hoping there’s one under my pillow in the morning.
Image Credit: prada.com
Image Credit: flower-fairies.com
